Faculty is not prepared for a shooter

Palomar College needs to prioritize revisiting emergency procedures for the campus community.

In the fallout of the threat of a shooter made to Palomar College before spring break, some faculty were left with a feeling of uneasiness, as the realization that they don’t know what to do in the case of a shooter event dawned on them.

This is something that should be troubling to everyone involved in the campus, especially given Palomar College’s prominence in southern California, and that there has been nearly 200 school shootings in the United States since the year 2000.

During Faculty Senate, several members of the board complained about the lack of information, and instruction when the general information email about the shooter threat went out. They argued that they needed more details to disseminate information to their students about what to do.

While we agree that the general information email was ambiguous, faculty should not put off taking steps to prepare for an active shooter event until administration tells them what to do.

The Palomar Police Department’s website has resources available to inform students (and faculty) on what actions need be taken to keep the class safe in the event of a shooter.

Faculty, from art to administration of justice, should dedicate at least half an hour each semester to basic “Run, Hide, Fight” training in each of their classes.

In regards to what the administration should do incase of future scenarios such as the one we saw this last month.

Faculty are correct, the email sent out was highly ambiguous, and even if administration did not at the time have all the information, they could have kept the community updated. For example, Chief Moore mentioned during Faculty Senate that the shooter threat was not in possession of a firearm, that would be important to send out in an email.

These are simple, but important steps that ought be taken to put students’ minds at ease, so that they can focus on what they’re supposed to be focused on. Learning for Success.